Cultivation of Christian leadership in a Confucian context : a study of the preparation of pastors for ministry in Taiwan Lutheran Church 1948-1987

Ph.D. thesis - School of Mission and Theology, 2007Leadership and leadership development are key issues in any enterprise or organization. This doctoral thesis deals with the challenges of leadership development and its cultural setting. By focusing on the education of pastors in Taiwan Lutheran Church during the years 1948 to 1987 it is shown how this kind of leadership development deals with a fundamental element in Chinese culture, namely the Confucian tradition. This thesis argues that the heritage after master teacher Confucius has deeply influenced leadership philosophy and leadership development among the Chinese. It becomes, therefore, a central task for cultivation of leaders in churches for the Chinese to relate Christian values to those of Confucianism. The current thesis has gathered and analyzed a wealth of source material regarding teachers, textbooks, and students with special emphasis on their reflection of specific aspects of Confucianism. Among the teachers and authors of textbooks are Chinese, American, and Norwegian contributors, some of whom were ordained pastors and missionaries. The thesis lays out their background and how it has influenced their role in the preparation of pastors for a small Lutheran church surrounded by an influential cultural heritage. The research has shown that only a minority of the teachers and textbooks conveyed a conscious discussion and interpretation of the challenges from the Confucian context. It remains to be studied how their training influenced the pastors and their understanding and exercise of leadership in local congregations and governing bodies of the church. This thesis has emerged in the crossroads of theology of missions and practical theology. A major aim has been to facilitate reflection on leadership development in churches and Christian missions. The lessons learned from the cross-cultural challenges in a Chinese setting will hopefully be valuable for similar efforts in other environments, not only in churches but also for other parts of society.publishedVersio

The Role of Religion in Public Conflicts over the Arts in the Philadelphia Area, 1965-1997

How would we characterize the relationship between religion and the arts in the Philadelphia area between 1965 and 1997? The late 1980s and early 1990s in Philadelphia followed a decade that was unusually free of contention between religion and the arts. In comparison to the 1970s and early 1980s, religious participation in cultural conflict was not particularly high during the "culture-war" era. However, religious discourse as opposed to participation did play a role in more controversies during the late 1980s and 1990s. The findings also suggest that after 1986 religious actors and their allies were far more likely to employ the tools of social-movement mobilization and to connect their own claims to national social movements or campaigns.

Liability of the Manufacturer to the Ultimate Consumer under Modern Merchandising Practices

Liability of the Manufacturer to the Ultimate Consumer under Modern Merchandising Practice

Liability of the Manufacturer to the Ultimate Consumer under Modern Merchandising Practices

Liability of the Manufacturer to the Ultimate Consumer under Modern Merchandising Practice

The Role of Religion in Public Conflicts Over the Arts in the Philadelphia Area, 1965-1997

Characterizes the relationship between religion and the arts in the Philadelphia area between 1965 and 1997. Prepared for inclusion in "Crossroads of the Spirit: Religion and Art in American Life" (New York: The New Press)

Spirituality: What Does it Mean and to Whom?

While there is increasing interest in the topic of spirituality, scholars have limited data on its meaning among ordinary Americans. Based on an open‐ended question in a new nationally representative survey, this article documents the elements that make up people's views of spirituality. We find that theism is the dominant focus of American spirituality, with a relatively small percentage of people offering exclusively immanent descriptions. Cognitive and relational orientations are more prominent than behavioral or ethical orientations. Using latent class analysis, we identify seven distinctive views of spirituality that vary considerably in their prevalence and social profiles. Binary logit regression shows that spiritual self‐identification, belief in God, and worship attendance are the religious factors most strongly associated with views of spirituality. Among sociodemographic predictors, significant associations with gender, race, education, and income are limited or absent. In contrast, the influences of age and political ideology are more substantial

Dopamine and Alcohol Dependence: From Bench to Clinic

Alcohol dependence, a chronic relapsing psychiatric disorder, is a major cause of mortality and morbidity. The role of dopamine in alcohol‐induced reward as well in the development of alcohol dependence is reviewed herein. Both preclinical and clinical studies have suggested that alcohol activates the mesolimbic dopamine system (defined as a dopamine projection from the ventral tegmental area (VTA) to the nucleus accumbens (NAc, i.e. ventral striatum)) leading to a euphoric sensation. Alcohol dependence is characterized by a disruption in the reward‐related brain areas including fewer dopamine D2 receptors in ventral striatum. Investigations of the underlying dopaminergic mechanisms involved during the development and maintenance of alcohol dependence could identify novel targets. Human and rodent experimental studies show that dopamine receptor antagonists, agonists and partial agonists as well as dopamine stabilizers influencing dopamine transmission, alter alcohol‐mediated behaviours and thus may be potential treatment targets for alcohol dependence. Although there exists promising preclinical results, the majority of placebo‐controlled randomized clinical trials with traditional dopamine antagonists and agonists have so far have been discouraging. Furthermore, the severe side-effect profiles of many of these compounds may limit their clinical use. Newer dopamine agents, such as partial agonists and dopamine stabilizers, attenuate alcohol‐mediated behaviours in rodents as well as humans. Preclinical as well as clinical studies have shown that substances indirectly targeting the mesolimbic dopamine system may be potential targets for attenuation of alcohol reward. Collectively, the data reviewed herein may contribute to further understanding the complex mechanisms involved in development of alcohol dependence and we suggest that the newer dopamine agents as well as indirect modulators of dopamine signalling deserve to be further evaluated for treatment of alcohol dependence